Disposal device for cigars, cigarettes, and like waste materials



, AND

Dec. 22, 1953 c. L. HOOKER. JR

DISPOSAL DEVICE FOR CIGARS, CIGARETTES THE LIKE WASTE MATERIALS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1951 ATTORNEY S;

Dec. 22, 1953 c. HOOKER, JR

DISPOSAL DEVICE FOR CIGARS, CIGARETTES, AND THE LIKE WASTE MATERIALS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 13, 1951 INVENTOR c. L Hoe/(ER, J

BY 147 ,M 6 M ATTORNEYS latented ee. 22, 1953 FF ICE DESPOSAL DEVICE FORCIGARS, CIGA- RETTES, AND LIKE WASTE MATERIALS Charles L. Hooker, J12,El Cajon, Calif.

Application August 13, 1951, Serial N 0. 241,546

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in receiving and disposalapparatus for waste material such as the ashes and butts of cigars,cigarettes and the like and more particularly to apparatus of this typeprovided with means for grinding or comminuting the butts of cigars,cigarettes and the like and for disposing of the resulting ground orcomminuted material.

A primary object of the invention is the provision or an improved devicefor receiving and quickly and efiectively disposing of lighted orunlighted cigar and cigarette butts and ashes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a receiving anddisposal device for cigar and cigarette butts adapted to grind and/orcoznminute the cigar or cigarette butts preparatory to disposal thereofthereby facilitating extinguishment and discharge of such butts andeliminating or substantially reducing the possibility of the disposalapparatus becoming clogged.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a cigarette,cigar and like waste disposal device for automobiles, airplanes or liketypes of conveyances adapted to receive and disintegrate such materialinto relatively small particles and to automatically collect and/ordischarge such particles at a point remote from the disintegratingmechanism whereby smoke and odor from the articles deposited iseliminated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a waste disposaldevice for automobiles, airplanes and the like provided with poweroperated grinding or comminuting means for disintegrating waste materialsuch as cigar and cigarette butts deposited therein and with suctionmeans for discharging or otherwise disposing of the disintegrated wastematerial.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a wastedisposal unit for automobiles and the like adapted to receive and holdwaste material when the automobile is in operation and to automaticallydischarge such material when the automobile is at rest and the enginecut off thereby avoiding the possibility of discharging burning materialwhen the automobile is in operation.

These and other object and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the deviceof the invention as applied to the dash of an automobile;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of thereoeiving receptacle;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the receiving re- Fig. 5 is a sideelevational view, partly in section, of a modified form of receivingreceptacle;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a further modified form of the receivingreceptacle.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line ll of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view or a modified form of the wastedisposal member.

One of the more commonly used devices for the disposal of lighted cigarsand cigarettes in automobiles and the like consists of a receptacle ortray slidably mounted in the dash and having a dished member suspendedtherein against which a lighted cigar or cigarette may be pressed by anoccupant of the automobile prior to depositing it in the tray. Whilethis device is relatively simple and inexpensive it has the disadvantagethat the tray or receptacle must be emptied periodically and while thisis a rather simple operation it usually is not thought of at the propertime and place for ready disposal of the contents. As a resultcigarette, and cigar ashes and butts are permitted to remain in thetrays for relatively long periods of time with consequent unsightlinessand disagreeable odor.

Furthermore, the necessity or manually extinguishing the lighted cigaror cigarette prior to depositing it in the tray is a rather troublesomeand difficult operation to carry out particularly for the operator ofthe vehicle who must keep his eyes on the road ahead. As a result thelighted cigar or cigarette is frequently only partially extinguishedthereby constituting a very definite fire hazard particularly whendropped into a tray which is partially filled with previously depositedwaste material. Furthermore if it is attempted to extinguish a lightedcigar or cigarette in this manner when the windows of the automobile areopen the wind will frequently blow the burning particles of tobacco ontothe clothes of the occupants or onto the upholstery of the car burning ahole therein and sometimes setting fire to the car.

With the device of the present invention the objectionable practices andfeatures above mentioned are eifectively eliminated. Lighted cigar ofthe car ride with a greater sense of security and comfort.

In the drawings there are illustrated typical embodiments of theinvention which are particularly designed for use with an automobile. Inthe embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the numeral H!denotes a support member which may be a portion of the dash of anautomobile or the like. The member I8 is provided with an opening Hwhich may be closed by a hinged or slidable door (not shown) when not inuse. A receptacle I3 is disposed below the opening H and secured to thedash I in any suitable manner as by welding, bolting or otherwisesecuring the flanges I4 thereof to the dash.

The receptacle I3 is desirably formed with a substantially rectangularshaped body portion I5 having an open end It at the top thereof inalignment with the dash opening II and a substantially funnel shapeddischarge portion IT at the bottom thereof terminating in an outlet I8.Intermediate the top and bottom of the body portion I5 is disposed atoothed cutter I9 rotatably mounted in the side walls 20 of thereceptacle by a shaft 2i and adapted to be rotated at a relatively highspeed to comminute waste material delivered to the receptacle I3. Thetoothed cutter 9 may desirably comprise a drumlike cylindrical shapedmember 22 secured on the shaft 2i in any suitable manner and providedwith relatively small teeth 23 secured to the peripheral surface thereofand projecting radially outward therefrom for cooperation with aserrated bed plate 24 hereinafter described. The teeth 23 may desirablycomprise pin-like or spikelike members rigidly secured in spacedrelation over the entire peripheral surface of the drum around thetoothed cutter I9 as shown and pro- 7 vided with a serrated cuttingsurface 25 for cooperation with the teeth 23. The bed plate 24 maydesirably be formed as a curved wall of the receptacle l3 which narrowstoward its bottom and has aflixed thereto in spaced relation thereoncutting teeth 21. The cutting teeth 21 are preferably elongatedsubstantially wedge shaped members having concavely curved upperportions 29 positioned adjacent the path of movement of the teeth 23 anddesigned for cooperation therewith to quickly and effectively grind orcomminute waste material such as cigar and cigarette butts into finelydivided particles.

In order to insure that waste material introduced into the receptacle I9is carried downwardly between the toothed cutter I9 and the serrated bedplate 24 a baffle 30 is secured in the receptacle I9 in any suitablemanner and extends diagonally downward from one end thereof in a mannersuch that waste material introduced through the openings I I and I5 isdeflected downwardly and laterally in the desired direction. The bafile36 thus functions to insure proper delivery of waste material to thegrinding and comminuting means and in addition further functions toprevent accidental discharge of comminuted waste material back throughthe opening in the event any such material is carried around by therotating toothed cutter.

While the toothed cutter I9 may be rotated or operated continuously, itis preferable to operate it intermittently at such times as it isdesired to grind or comminute the waste material. One suitable andpreferred means for rotating the cutter I9 comprises an electric motor3| coupled to the cutter shaft 2! and having electrical connections withthe battery of the car. Operation of the motor may be controlled by apush button switch 32 of any suitable type electrically connected to themotor and secured to the .dash of the car closely adjacent the openingII therein. In the modified construction shown in ,Fig. 5 the cutter -a34 'receptacle I3 I designed to be manually operated and having aportion thereof projecting through an opening 35 in the dash andprovided with an operating handle 36. The lever 33 is hingedly connectedas at 31 to a toothed rack 38 designed for meshing engagement with apinion 39 mounted on the shaft of the cutter I9. A spring 40cooperatively associated with the lever 33 and the rack 38 serves tohold the rack 33 in meshing engagement with the pinion 39 whilesimultaneously urging the lever 33 toward its upper rest position. Ifdesired, additional springs may be employed to hold the lever 33 in theretracted position shown in Fig. 5 and the rack 38 in mesh with thepinion 39.

The pinion 39 preferably comprises a ratchet sprocket designed topositively rotate the shaft 2| in one direction to grind and comminutethe material while being freely rotatable on the shaft in the oppositedirection. This permits the cutter to be operated continuously in onedirection by one or more actuations of the operating handle against therestraining action of the spring Gil.

In the further modification of the invention shown in Fig. 6 the cutterI9 is rotated by a fluid motor 42 secured to the shaft 2i. The motor 42is preferably of the suction type comprising a rotor 43, and a casing 44having an inlet 45 open to the atmosphere and an outlet 16 connected toa source of vacuum. Alternatively, if desired, the motor 42 may be ofthe pressure type in which case the inlet t5 may be connected to asource of fluid under pressure and the outlet 46 open to the atmosphere.A suitable valve 4! may be placed in the line to the motor .22 so thatit may be intermittently operated by an occupant of the automobile orthe valve may be omitted so that the motor 42 will operate continuouslywhile the engine of the automobile is in operation.

It will be apparent from the description thus far that cigar andcigarette butts and the like waste material introduced into thereceptacle I3 through the dash opening iI and the receptacle opening 66will strike the bafile 3H and be deflected laterally downward betweenthe descending teeth 23 of the cutter I9 and. the teeth 2? of theserrated bed plate 24. The cutter I9, if not already in operation, maythen be actuated by means of any of the various mechanisms hereinbeforedescribed to effectively grind and/or comminute the waste material intosmall particles. Under the influence of gravity and the rotating cutterI9 as well as a suction means hereinafter described the comminutedmaterial passes downwardly into and through the funnel shaped dischargeportion I7 and through the outlet I8 to a discharge conduit 50.

The conduit 56 may desirably comprise a flexible tube formed of anysuitable flexible material such as rubber, rubberized fabric, coppertubing or the like and serves to convey the comminuted waste materialfrom the receptacle I3 to a disposal member 5!. The disposal member 5imay be mounted on any convenient part of the body or framework of theautomobile as by the bracket 52 and is preferably located at or belowthe chasis so as to discharge the comminuted waste materialdirectly'onto a street or highway.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5 the disposalmember 5i comprises a casing 53 having an inlet end '54 communicat ingwith the conduit 58 and an outlet end 55 open to the atmosphere.Intermediate the inlet and outlet ends the casing 53 is provided with anair intake orifice 55 having its open end 5'1 facing in tlie directionof movement of-the-car. -'I-'hu whenthecar f tion air is forced throughthe orifice 56 into and through the disposal member 5! and dischargedthrough the open end thereof. This creates a suction on the dischargeconduit 50 which, as pointed out above, assists in withdrawingcomminuted waste material from the receptacle l3 and discharging itthrough the open end of the disposal member.

The modified form of disposal member shown in Fig. 8 is designed for useunder conditions which render it undesirable to discharge the Wastematerial along the highway. This form of the invention eliminates anypossibility of discharging sparks or burning material while travellingalong the street or highway and hence eliminates the fire hazardsoccasioned by the discharge of such material.

The construction shown comprises a housing 90 having an inlet 6! at oneend thereof for receiving comminuted waste material from the conduit 5..and a dis harge opening 52 in the bottom thereof for discharging thewaste material. A closure door 63 is pivoted to the housing 99 adjacentthe opening 92 and is normally maintained in closed position duringoperation of the engine by a vacuum controlled device 5%. The door 53preferably slopes downwardly from the inlet end. of the housing 69 sothat material discharged thereon will tend to gravitate toward the frontof the housing.

The device 56 may comprise a cylinder 65 mounted in the housing 99 andhaving one end thereof connected to a source of vacuum by a conduit Apiston 57 is reciprocably mounted in the cylinder 55 and has a pistonrod 59 conn cted to the pivoted door 93 by a connecting link 99. Whenthe engine is running apartial vacuum is set up in the cylinder 6-5through the conduit 69- which pulls the piston 67 upwardly therein tohold the door 63 in closed position. When the engine is stopped thevacuum is released and a spring ll mounted between the piston and thetop of the cylinder urges the piston down to open the door.

It will thus be seen that any waste material discharged into the housing60 will be retained therein While the engine is running and will not bedischarged until the engine is stopped.

As a further feature the end of the housing 60 opposite the inlet end ispreferably open to the atmosphere and covered by a relatively fine meshscreen or grating 72. By virtue of this arrangement the housing to actsas an incinerator in which all unconsumed particles, in the presence ofa spark or sparks, are caused to burst into flame whereby they arequickly reduced to an incombustible state for discharge in the form ofashes. The screen E2, of course, prevents the discharge of such materialbut permits the entry of air to support combustion.

It will thus be apparent that the present invention provides an improvedapparatus for the quick and ready disposal of waste material such ascigar and cigarette butts and ashes. The grinding and comminuting of thematerial in accordance with the invention facilitates rapid andautomatic evacuation thereof from the collecting receptacle so that firehazards and disagreeable odors are eliminated or substantially reduced.Grinding and comminuting of the waste material furthermore facilitatesmovement thereof through the discharge conduit and the disposal memberand substantially reduces the tendency of these parts of the device tobecome clogged as frequently happens when it is attempted to pass buttsand the like therethrough. In addition to the above applicants deviceeliminates the fire hazards and the unsightly appearance created bythrowing or discharging lighted cigar and cigarette butts along thestreets and highways since the comminuted material is widely scatteredwhen discharged and is substantially unnoticeable.

While the invention herein is illustrated in its preferred forms asapplied to an automobile or like type of conveyance it will beunderstood that it could readily be applied to a stationary constructionsuch as a room wall or the like. These and other modifications of theinvention described and illustrated will most likely occur to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention relates and may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of whichis indicated in the attached claim.

I claim:

In a disposal device for waste material of the nature of cigar andcigarette butts comprising a fixed housing adapted to be secured to thedash of an automobile having an opening for the reception of wastematerial and suction outlet means communicating with said housing, theimprovement consisting of a rotatable cutter extending across saidhousing in the path of waste material introduced thereinto, said housinghaving an opening in its top communicating with the first opening forintroducing waste material thereinto, and side walls leading from thehousing opening converging around the cutter and connecting with theoutlet, a baflie plate steeply inclined downwardly from the housingopening tangentially directed with respect to the rotatable cutter tofunnel waste material thereto, said rotatable cutter comprising a shaftand a drumlike member on said shaft having a plurality of outwardlyprojecting pin-like teeth thereon, a plurality of stationary laterallywedge shaped cutting teeth on a converging wall of the housing extendingacross the length of the rotatable cutter and to adjacent the peripheryof the pinlike teeth, the stationary teeth reaching from the point ofnearest approach of the pin-like teeth to the side wall to a pointremoved downstream therefrom, the pin-like teeth and the stationaryteeth having substantially the same clearance throughout the extent ofthe latter, and means for rapidly rotating the rotatable cutter in adirecion away from the baffle plate towards the stationary teeth tocomminute waste material for removal by the suction means from theconverging housing section.

CHARLES L. HOOKER, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 209,463 Creasey Oct. 29, 1878 544,336 Williams Aug. 13, 18951,331,872 Plucker Feb. 24, 1920 2,270,370 Dalrymple Jan. 20, 19422,299,668 Webster Oct. 20, 1942 2,556,370 Holmes June 12, 1951 2,558,551Fox June 26, 1951 2,561,275 Hentschel July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 267,261 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1927 468,500 FranceApr. 25, 1914 517,211 Great Britain Jan. 23, 1940 869,102 France Oct.29, 1941

